The Collins Fire Department responded to a tank fire in Jefferson Davis County on Monday, June 15. Once firefighters were on scene, they found a 400-barrel crude oil tank engulfed in flames and a second tank that had been heated from the fire.
According to Fire Chief John Pope, the tank had been struck by lightning causing the fire.
“We immediately worked to cool down the adjacent tank,” said Pope, “before we tackled the one that was on fire. We went to foam operations for the tank that was in flames and worked to extinguish the fire. Then we gave it another layer of foam once we had it cooled down.”
Fireman had the fire extinguished in about three minutes.
The Collins Fire Department (CFD) received the call at 5:38 p.m. on Monday night and responded to the scene. The department is one of the only ones in the state equipped to fight fires involving crude oil.
“We have the foam and the equipment to use, which is very expensive,” said Pope. “We are equipped because we have the tank farms in Collins and it is something we have to have.”
Because the equipment is supplied by the companies who operate the tank farms in Collins, one of the requirements is to be able to respond to other incidents outside of the city like the one in Prentiss.
